COURT REJECTS BAIL TO 'LONE ANTI-TINUBU' DEMONSTRATOR

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By Adeniyi Onaara

On Tuesday, a Zuba Magistrate Court in Abuja denied bail to one Obiajulu Uja, who protested against the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while aboard an Ibom Air Abuja-Lagos flight.

Uja, who was taken off the plane and turned over to police, had applied for bail through his lawyer, Barr. Ejike Ugwu. However, Senior Magistrate Mohammed Abdulazeez Ismail denied the application, stating that it was filed too soon.

He ruled that the documents attached to the motion did not state that the defendant was unfit for trial, but rather that he was mentally ill.

He also maintained that, while the constitution guarantees everyone’s liberty, a court can deprive a person of their liberty based on health grounds.

The Magistrate ruled that Uja cannot be granted bail, citing Section 35(1)(e) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 278 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

He decided that when a defendant’s mental competence is in question, the court has a duty to investigate the defendant’s medical circumstances.

He went on to say that the materials attached to Uja’s bail application raised concerns about his medical capacity.

He later denied the bail motion and ordered that Uja be imprisoned at the Nigerian Correctional Service’s Kuje Correctional Centre.

He also directed that the defendant be taken to a government hospital to be evaluated for mental ability.

He then deferred the meeting until April 20 for the report and hearing.

Uja had been preventing the plane from taking off for nearly an hour, and it took the efforts of six airport security agents to extract him after he began the protest.

Uja was accused by the police of threatening violence and provoking a breach of the peace with his acts.